Seats available

There was a time in Cleveland where the house would be packed every single night. Between June of 1995 until April of 2001, a span of 455 Indians home dates, every seat in Jacob's Field (now Progressive Field) was either filled or paid for. Their sellout streak was an extraordinary achievement for a franchise which had flirted with the idea of moving to New Orleans in the early 1970s, whose losing ways were immortalized in the late 1980s film Major League. Their winning-starved fans came to watch Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Roberto Alomar, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and Omar Vizquel, the core of a ballclub that racked up two American League pennants and six playoff appearances in seven seasons. Since then, the Tribe, who haven't won a World Series title since 1948, have made the playoffs just once.

And so you would think that with their Indians back in the thick of the playoff race for the first September in six seasons, fans would respond by coming out to watch, but that's not the case in Cleveland, where sparse crowds watch manager Terry Francona's revived ballclub. In baseball, the formula has almost always been win and they'll come in, but in Cleveland, the Indians are winning and few are coming. There are exceptions - the Rays have struggled with attendance despite competing for playoff spots since 2008, the A's are working towards their second consecutive American League West title, 11th of 15 AL teams in attendance. This season the Indians are just behind Tampa in the race for the second wildcard spot and just ahead of them in attendance, 14th of 15 AL teams, averaging just under 20,000 fans a game.

On Wednesday, an 87 degree day with the Royals, a divisional rival that's also in the playoff hunt, in town, just 12,085 fans turned up to watch their Indians lose 6-2 and slip to two games out of the wildcard. A little more than a week earlier, just 9,962 were in the house to see the Baltimore Orioles (who are having their own attendance issues at the moment), a September low for the ballpark that opened up to acclaim in 1994. Outfielder Michael Bourn, one of the offseason signings that has helped boost the Indians chances in 2013 recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

If you're in the hunt this close, the stands should almost be filled up every night. It's not like we're way out of it. We're right there in the hunt. It's not like we're 15 games out of it right now and trying to make some crazy run. We're right there. We're in the thick of things.

Francona also recently told the Plain Dealer:

I think everybody would rather play to a packed house. It's more fun, more enthusiasm in the ballpark. We also know this city's been hit pretty hard in these times. So I guess the way I view it is the people who come and the people who watch the Indians, I hope they leave happy. That's really how we feel. The people who come are very loyal and I think you also have to recognize that this town has been hit, and you just have to respect that.

A roam around the local Cleveland media reveals the following theories as to why attendance is so poor:

• The Indians decision to sell the radio rights to a news/talk station rather than the all-sports stations - a presence on a sports network would generate more Tribe chat during the day and drum up more interest - at least in theory.

• Back in the 1990s when the Indians revived, began winning and started to fill seats, the NFL's Browns weren't around. Now that the sport has returned to a football crazed town, there is less focus on baseball. The economy was also stronger during the sellout streak.

• That couch gets more and more comfortable every day, and wow, that TV sure looks good.

My thoughts? Well, this season, you could say that their inability to beat good teams has preventing fans from taking them seriously. Cleveland are 42-18 against losing teams, but have the worst record amongst playoff contenders against teams with winning records. Then there's the idea that this team, for its talent, just isn't all that interesting. There are good players - Justin Masterson, Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana - but for the most part, there's not a lot of flash. Jason Giambi is always worth a look and Chris Perez, who is mostly disliked in Cleveland and who has sounded about about attendance in the past, sent marijuana to his home in his dog's name, which is promising. After that, there's not much to hang your hat on.

Despite their loss on Wednesday, the Indians' remaining schedule is favorable - there are trips to Chicago and Kansas City, then home against Houston, before more games against the White Sox and four in Minnesota. Given Cleveland's reputation this season for trashing bad teams, that puts them in a favorable position to eclipse Tampa and reach the playoffs. Would Clevelanders fill up their stadium for playoff games?

Who wants it?

The Tampa Bay Rays are 4-13 since August 24th. The Texas Rangers have dropped seven of their last nine games - these are your current American League wildcard leaders. It's hard to believe they're still out in front considering the way they're playing as the season nears a close, that is, until you look at how nearly everyone else chasing them are playing. The Orioles are 8-9 in their previous 17. After starting out September strong, the Yankees are 4-4 in their last eight - hardly playoff baseball. The Tribe also started off the month well, but have now lost three of four games. The most consistent team this month are the Kansas City Royals, who have climbed into the playoff race by going 8-3 in September, moving from 6.5 games behind Tampa in that second wildcard slot to just two games out - that's nearly five games made up in 11 days. Meanwhile, over in the National League, the Washington Nationals have won five straight games, closing to within six of the Cincinnati Reds thanks to their dropping two of three games to the Cubs this week.

Some wildcard injury news: the Yankees crawl to the finish will take place without Derek Jeter, 39, whose surgically repaired ankle put him on the disabled list once again this season, this time for the rest of the year. Jeter, who played just 17 games in a season he describes as a nightmare, has a player option to return to New York for $8m next season according to baseball-reference.com. In Cleveland, Justin Masterson said on Monday that he expects to play again this season. The Tribes' ace is attempting to recover from an oblique strain ahead of schedule. Bryce Harper, who has struggled with injury issues for a major chunk of the season, has missed five games this month but returned to the lineup in their 3-0 win over the Mets in Flushing, going 1-4, including this smash hit.

Seeing a red (and blue) October in September

Who do you want to see in the World Series? The Pittsburgh Pirates? A great story for a set of fans that deserve a winner. The Tigers? Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander - a fabulous group in Detroit if not just a touch dull. The Reds? Strong pitch, strong hit, a well rounded force - watchable. The Yankees? Mariano Rivera is on his way out of New York, Alex Rodriguez may be behind him - New York drama, always a strong candidate. The Cardinals? They're so 2011. Texas? They're in the midst of another September skid and they could find themselves out of the picture if they don't stop the bleeding. The A's? Their band of brothers in Oakland are colorful, as baseball fans know - decent choice. The Orioles? Manny Machado, Chris Davis...getting warmer. The Rays? The dome is a buzz kill for everybody. The Braves? Eh. The Nationals? If they somehow get in, it could get interesting, I guess.

Apologies to the afore mentioned, but Tuesday night, while flipping through games, my ideal World Series flashed before my eyes - an epiphany of sorts.

When we reach the final two teams in October it has to be Boston and Los Angeles, the Dodgers and the Red Sox playing for the ugly gold trophy. Talk about a matchup, talk about first class backdrops - the only thing better would be swapping out picture perfect Dodger Stadium for Wrigley Field in a World Series featuring Fenway Park. The late season 2012 trade between LA and Boston helped set up their spectacular seasons, so it makes perfect sense that these teams with enormous fan bases meet.

If only Josh Beckett were healthy for such a series, just imagine what his appearance in Boston would be like. A series where Clayton Kershaw faces David Ortiz in a huge spot. A series where Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez make dents in the Green Monster. A series where Dustin Pedroia and other scrappy Sox bring a dust bowl to Chavez Ravine. A series where Yasiel Puig runs rampant in right at Fenway. Koji Uehara, Matt Kemp (possibly) Mike Napoli, Clay Buchholz (who looked good in his first start since June on Tuesday) , Carl Crawford, Zack Greinke, Jacoby Ellsbury (if he can recover from that broken foot) - too many good to great players to mention and story-lines to mention, including an ex-Yankee in the Dodgers dugout. It would be as big as it gets, an instant classic this fall. And so as we eagerly await the regular season to conclude, that's my wish for October - how about you?

Big in Japan

Yakult Swallows' Wladimir Balentien is likely to become the single season home run record holder in Japan - he hit his 55th home run on Wednesday to tie the mark. Photograph: AP

Wladimir Balentien is on the verge of making history - not in Major League Baseball where his career began, but in Japan where his professional career took off. The Curaçao native tied the NPB single season home run record of 55 on Wednesday and now has 21 games to make it his own. The Yakult Swallows slugger began the year on the sidelines with a leg injury, missing the first 12 games before making up for lost time by going on a season long tear. The outfielder spent parts of three campaigns with the Mariners and the Reds, putting up a .655 OPS, a number that has nearly doubled in 2013. Now now he's one big fly from passing Japanese baseball icon Sadaharu Oh, along with co-record holders Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera for the prestigious mark. As the New York Times pointed out recently, foreign players who have threatened the record in the past have been pitched around to ensure they did not pass Oh, who despite being born in Taiwan is seen as a national treasure. Japanese baseball is said to have thawed somewhat when it comes to protecting the records of their own and really, I can't believe that hurlers could pitch around a hitter for 21 games without making the league look like a complete and total disgrace. Meanwhile, the NPB are using a new ball this season which the league reluctantly admitted in June had been tweaked to fly farther - it seems to have worked with home runs up in a big way in 2013. The tweak, which was done secretly, was a reaction to an initial tweak in 2011 which deadened the ball and led to a serious decline in homers. Now perhaps they've overdone it meaning that there could soon be an asterisk debate over the single season home run record on two continents.

Marlins won't back own franchise player

On Wednesday Jose Fernandez, the Marlins candidate for National League Rookie of the Year, made his final start of the season. The 21-year old, who finished with a 2.19 ERA, 187 strikeouts and a 12-6 record became the latest young pitcher to be shut down before the end of the season, just as Stephen Strasburg was in 2012, as general managers continue to pretend they know something about preventing injuries when in fact they know very little.

That's not the story today however, rather, it was Fernandez finishing with a bang, connecting on his first big league home run, one that led to a bench clearing incident. Fernandez, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball in Miami's 5-2 victory, watched his handiwork after crushing a Mike Minor pitch over the left center wall - that amounts to showing up a pitcher, a major offense in baseball's silly unwritten rule book we hear so much about. This of course offended Braves third baseman Chris Johnson and Braves catcher Brian McCann who greeted Fernandez with a lecture at home plate. Johnson, seeing the exchange, charged furiously at Fernandez, before hilariously taking his place behind the umpire as benches cleared.

• Braves Rookie Evan Gattis hit a home run earlier off Fernandez and he also took time to admire his work. Fernandez could be seen smiling and saying "wow", either because Gattis showed him up or because he was impressed with Gattis' home run.

• Later in the game, Chris Johnson was chirping at Fernandez as he ran up the line after flying out. Fernandez was visibly upset and his manager Mike Redmond took him into the tunnel to help relax his player in-between innings.

Then the Cuban-born Fernandez got his revenge, thumping Minor's pitch over the wall and watching it fly, which seems like a reasonable reply. When you sum it up, all Fernandez really did to Minor is what was what was done to him, and for whatever reason, probably because the kid was destroying the Braves, Atlanta couldn't handle it.

For this so called immature behavior, Fernandez was taken to task not just by the Braves but by his own manager for showing up a pitcher and 'not respecting the game", so much so that he was basically guilted in to apologizing in a press conference and then personally to Braves players. Mike Redmond said that his night was ruined by Fernandez' immaturity, which is one of the worst managerial decisions I can imagine. Unless there is something we are not seeing or hearing about, to not back your own rookie franchise cornerstone is inexcusable and a decision that will likely come back to haunt Redmond own the road.